Real estate vendor list template
A real estate vendor list template needs one row per vendor and a column for each fact you want before you hand out a name: the trade, the business, the contact person, a phone number, the license number and the date you last checked it. The table on this page is free to copy into any spreadsheet.
What should a real estate vendor list template include?
It should have one row per vendor and the eleven columns in the table below, running from the trade to your private notes. Put the column names across the first row of a blank spreadsheet, and give each vendor a row of their own. The last column of the table says which ones your clients should see.
| Column | What goes in it | Clients see it |
|---|---|---|
| Trade | The kind of work, written the way a client asks for it, such as roofer | Yes |
| Business | The name on the license and the invoice | Yes |
| Contact | The person your client should ask for | Yes |
| Phone | The number that person actually answers | Yes |
| Where your client can send photos before anyone comes out | Yes | |
| License number | The number the state or county board issued, where the trade needs one | No |
| License last checked | The date you last looked the license up | No |
| Insurance proof on file | Whether the vendor sent you a certificate, and when it runs out | No |
| Clients sent | How many clients you've given this name to | No |
| Last outcome | What your most recent client told you about the job | No |
| Notes | Anything else you'd say on the phone, like "takes small jobs" | No |
The license columns take two minutes to fill. In Oregon, the Construction Contractors Board has a public license search, and in Washington, the Department of Labor and Industries lets anyone check a contractor's registration, bond and workers' comp account. Here's how to check a contractor license in Oregon and Washington step by step.
Is there a free vendor list template?
Yes. The table above is free, and you can copy it into Google Sheets or Excel. Copy the Column list, then use Paste special with the transpose option, which both apps have, to turn it into a header row. There's no file to download, because a sheet you set up yourself is the easiest one to change later.
The columns are only half of it. For the trades that fill the rows, see what to put on a realtor vendor list, and for how many rows each trade deserves, see how many vendors to keep per trade.
What does a vendor list example look like?
Here are the same columns filled in for three vendors we made up, so you can see how the dates and notes read in practice. Each vendor is one column here so the table fits on a phone, but in your sheet each one is a row. None of these businesses exist, and the contact details and license numbers are placeholders.
| Column | Roofer | Plumber | Home inspector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | Cedar Ridge Roofing LLC | Northside Plumbing Inc | Clear View Home Inspection |
| Contact | Dana Ortiz | Sam Lee | Pat Nguyen |
| Phone | (503) 555-0110 | (503) 555-0123 | (360) 555-0147 |
| dana@cr.test | sam@np.test | pat@cv.test | |
| License number | 000001 | 000002 | 000003 |
| License last checked | Sep 14, 2026 | Aug 2, 2026 | Jul 20, 2026 |
| Insurance proof on file | Yes, runs out Mar 1, 2027 | Not asked yet | Yes, runs out Jan 15, 2027 |
| Clients sent | 4 | 7 | 12 |
| Last outcome | Hired; new roof done in two days | Hired; water heater replaced the same week | Report arrived the next morning |
| Notes | Will do small leak repairs | Answers on weekends | Sends a sample report on request |
The Last outcome column is in your client's words, not a star rating. When it's blank, you don't yet know how the referral went. Here's how to track which vendor referrals worked out, and each time you look a license up again, update the date and see how often to update your vendor list.
Should clients see every column on your vendor list?
No. A client needs the trade, the business, the phone number and one line from you on why that vendor is on your list. The license dates, insurance notes, outcomes and private notes are your records. Keep two tabs in the same sheet: the full one for you, and a short one with a Why column that you share.
A Why line can be as plain as "fixed my own furnace on a Sunday" or "three clients hired her last year and all called back happy." It tells your client more than any rating would.
How do you turn the template into a list clients keep?
Send your clients a link to the short tab, or text them the names, rather than attaching the file. A spreadsheet stays on your computer, and a PDF you emailed in March is out of date by June and buried under newer mail. Here's more on sending a link instead of a PDF.
Sources
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board: home page and license search
- Washington Department of Labor and Industries: Verify a contractor, tradesperson or business
Bring your spreadsheet into Proferral
If you already keep this sheet, you can import it into Proferral as a CSV file instead of typing each vendor in again. The import reads the business, trade, phone, email and notes columns and ignores the rest, so your license dates and outcomes don't come across with it. In Proferral a provider's note is what you'd tell a client about them, so read your Notes column before you import it.
It's free, no credit card needed, and you're never charged unless you choose Pro.